


Playlist

by FunkyTown67_RH



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Best Friends, Car Accidents, Castiel Makes the First Move, Collage, Friends to Lovers, Gift Giving, Inspired by Music, M/M, Moon, Music, POV Dean Winchester, Parent Mary Winchester, Playlist, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-28 15:24:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10127924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FunkyTown67_RH/pseuds/FunkyTown67_RH
Summary: Dean and Cas are best friends who enjoy being troublemakers. One day, Dean decides that they should take Principle Azazel's beautiful, red Dodge Viper for a joy ride. The same day, Cas gives Dean an unexpected gift.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I have been working on this FOREVER. I don't know why it took so long, but I'm excited to finally post it. 
> 
> Come visit me on my tumblr: funkytown67rh

     

     

    Dean runs up to Cas and pulls on his backpack, “Hey, nerd.”

    “Hello, Dean.” Cas replies, readjusting his backpack.

    Dean bends his knees and whines, “No, Cas. We’ve been over this. You’re supposed to insult me back.”

    “Hello, imbecile.” Cas says in a flat voice.

    “There you go! Let’s try that again…” Dean backs up to run at Cas again, but Cas stops and turns around.

    “I don’t understand how insulting each other is a sign of friendship.”

    “It’s.. like a nickname? I dunno Cas. It just seemed like a good idea.” Dean shrugs.

    Cas looks at him for a moment and then just turns away, continuing on his way to Math. Dean trots after him even though his next class is in the opposite direction.

    “Come on, after eleven years of friendship I didn’t think I’d ever get the classic ‘Castiel Cold Shoulder’.”

    “I’m trying to get to class on time, Dean, something you should think about as well.” Cas glances pointedly at a clock hanging in the hallway.

    “We can’t all be straight A students, Cas. The world needs us rebels.” Dean touches his fist to his chest. This earns Dean a glare.

    “Why are you so happy today. You’re normally a lot less chipper.” Cas questions.

    “ _Chipper_? Really, Cas,” Cas rolls his eyes and Dean continues, “I have big plans for today. Just you wait.” Dean wiggles his eyebrows and Cas narrows his eyes suspiciously at him.

    “You aren’t going to make me spray paint the statue of the mayor again are you?”

    “What? No, of course not, Cas. I’ve gotta keep my label of originality.” Dean grins. Cas reaches the entrance to his class and stops to make sure Dean actually heads off to his classroom. Dean looks Cas straight in the eyes.

    “Are you waiting for a goodbye kiss?” Dean’s face breaks into a grin, unable to keep up the straight face anymore. Cas blushes beet red, looks at the ground, and kicks his own feet. “Jesus, Cas. It was just a joke. Don’t take it so seriously.” Cas’s head whips up. An angry expression passes over his face before he storms into the classroom leaving Dean alone in the hallway.

    “I swear, he gets weirder every day,” Dean mutters to himself, heading in the general direction of English, but still undecided whether or not he’ll actually go.

 

    When school lets out that day, Cas seems to be back to his normal-not-normal self. Dean is relieved. He knows from experience that when Cas gets in a mood, nothing gets him out of it.

    “What were you planning this morning?” Cas asks Dean as they walk home.

    “You’ll have to wait and see. I have my plan of action at home. You can come over, right?” Dean confirms. Sometimes Cas’s parents get sensitive and they are always over-protective.

    “Yes, I think. I’ll just stop by my house first to drop off my backpack. We’ll see if they’re in a bad mood or not.”  

    “Awesome,” Dean turns down the street both he and Cas live on, “I can’t wait to show you the plan. You’ll love it.” Dean breaks into a grin.

    Cas groans. “Why do I feel that like that means I’ll disapprove?”

    “Because you’re a wet blanket. But you’ll do it anyway cause you love me,” Dean leans closer to Cas only to watch him blush furiously.

    “No, I do it because you make me. I don’t usually have a choice,” Cas defends himself. He stops and looks up at his house. “Wait right here. I’ll be back.”

     Dean mutters _I’ll be back_ under his breath in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s voice as he watches Cas jog up the steps and open his front door. He paces in front of his friend’s house, kicking his heels. It doesn’t take long for Cas to reappear.

    “It’s just Dean’s house,” Cas says as he backs out of his front door, “Yes, of course.... I know your number.... I’ll stay safe… Okay, goodbye.” Cas turns away, his face full of exasperation. Dean flashes him a cheesy smile. Cas’s lips lift in a small, crooked smile.

    “Are you ready?” Dean holds out his arm as if he is offering to dance with Cas. Cas just rolls his eyes and walks straight past Dean. “Hey, you’re rude. I was being a gentleman.”

     “However, I am not a lady,” Cas responded. Dean hummed and nodded. He couldn’t argue with that.

 

    “I cannot believe you think this is a good idea,” Cas hisses from behind him.

    “Come on, It’s an amazing idea,” Dean whispers over his shoulder. They are crouched behind a row of bushes which separate the driveway they are watching from the neighbor’s lawn. Specifically, they are watching _Principal Azazel’s_ driveway, waiting for him to come home in his red 2016 Dodge Viper.

    “We’re going to get caught,” Cas complains.

    “No we’re not. Anyway, we’ll only be gone a few hours at most. He’ll never notice.”

    “Where are we even going to go in it?”

    “You decide Cas. Wherever you want. Or we’ll just drive out to the hill country,” Dean says and then holds his breath as he hears the familiar rumble of the Dodge Viper coming down the street.

    “I want to go see the harvest moon, Dean,” Cas murmurs seriously in his ear. Dean smiles.

    “Course ya do, Cas,” the car glides into the driveway, but jolts to a halt. Principle Azazel obviously has no idea how to drive a car like that. He just wants to look rich and important. Cas tries to speak, but Dean puts a hand up to his mouth. Azazel is getting out of the car… and heading inside… and the back door closes. Dean takes his hand away from Cas’s face and motions for him to follow. They peek through the bushes and see Azazel walking past the wall of windows in the front of his house and sitting down in one of the plush chairs in the living room. He picks up a remote and flicks on the tv. Dean creeps towards the house, still hidden behind the bushes.

    “You’re on lookout Cas,” Dean points to the phone clutched in Castiel’s fist, “Just start playing _Fear The Reaper_ , loudly, if he’s walking towards the back door.” Cas nods vigorously. Tossing him a salute, Dean flattens himself against the fence and slides neatly between it and the bushes. He darts across the driveway and reaches out for to turn the knob on the back door. It squeaks and he grimaces but keeps going, trusting Cas to warn him in time if anyone heard.

    When he feels the latch disengage. He lets the door drift open. While they live in a fairly safe neighborhood, Azazel really should lock his doors. Dean sticks only his head in the house and looks to the right. Bingo! He was sure that he saw Azazel put his keys off to the right somewhere and there it was, a key hook. It’s easy to spot the Viper’s key in among the other household keys, a remote key among the rest of the standard door keys. Balancing on the wall with his right hand, Dean’s left swings around to pluck the key off of the hook. He pulls away and closes the door as quietly as he can. Then he sprints back to Cas and the safety of the bushes.

    “Did you get it?” Cas asked, an excited sparkle in his eyes. He might claim that Dean’s ideas are stupid, but deep down he must enjoy them as much as Dean does. He opens his fist and shows Cas his booty.

    “Yup. How long until he passes out dya think?” Dean crouches next to Cas, their knees brushing. Cas scoots away.

    “I would say that he is most likely to procure food first and then fall asleep in front of the tv. He has been mournfully eyeing his empty bag of cheese puffs,” Cas reports as if it is the most vital information in the world. Dean chuckles and pats Cas on the shoulder.

    “Good detective work, Sherlock. Think you could even tell me what he’s going to eat?”

    Cas shoves at him, “Shut up, Dean. I drew reasonable conclusions from my observations.”

    “Mmh,” Dean is staring at Cas a little too long, but Cas is staring back so that makes him feel not so weird.

    “I’d say we have forty-five minutes to wait, minimum,” Cas suddenly blurts out and looks away, “I’m hungry. Could we eat at your place?”

    “Of course, Cas,” Dean begins to inch his way to the end of the bushes, “I’m sure my mom would love to have you.”

     

 

    “Do you think you boys could handle staying out of trouble just for tonight?” Dean’s mom stands in the doorway as she watches him walk backwards down the walkway.

    “Of course, Mrs. Winchester. I’ll keep Dean in line,” Cas smiles and waves at a reassured looking mother. He trots to catch up to Dean just as he turns onto the sidewalk.

    “Gonna keep me in line, huh?” Dean smirks at Cas and bumps him with his shoulder. For some reason his mother still believes that Cas is responsible and capable of keeping Dean on the straight and narrow.

    “Shut up,” Cas mutters and shoves back gently.

    “Race you to the end of the block!” Dean shouts and takes off. He hears Cas huff and begin running behind him. Dean skids to a stop as he reaches the street. “I win!” he shouts as he lifts both hands up in the air.

    “Dean, have you ever just taken a moment to consider your actions and see how childish they are?” Cas asks, slight amusement playing behind his eyes. Dean’s eyebrows twitch up. Cas is intentionally trying to get a rise out of him. For fun.

     “I happen to believe that I am perfectly mature, just with an added dose of fun,” Dean jogs across the street and then slows to allow Cas to catch up.

    “Whatever lets you keep that inflated ego of yours,” Cas peeks up at Dean through his lashes, faking innocence. _Damn, but he has gorgeous, blue eyes_ , Dean thinks.

    “Excuse me?” Dean slings an arm around Cas’s shoulders, “I think you need to do some soul-searching of your own. You’re the one with an inflated ego.” Cas glances sideways at Dean and shoves his hands deeper into the pockets of his trenchcoat.

    “I merely acknowledge the fact that I am capable of more than my average peer,” Cas states. Rolling his eyes, Dean removes his arm from Cas.

    “Fine, fine. You are amazing and wonderful and the world is in love with you.”

    That sentence earns Dean a half-hearted glare from Cas which he answers with a smug grin. They round a corner and fall silent because straight ahead is Principal Azazel’s house, his sleek, red Viper waiting in the driveway. As before, they approach the house from behind the bushes in case anyone is watching.

    “Can you see him?” Cas whispers in Dean’s ear, crowding up against him in an attempt to peer through the same hole in the bushes. A shiver runs down Dean’s spine and he leans further into the bush to put a sliver of distance between his back and his friend’s chest, but Cas just follows his movement.

    “Yeah, he’s in that same arm chair but now he’s got an empty plate in front of him and I’m half sure that he’s asleep,” Dean whispers back, turning his head back to aim the words towards Cas rather than away from him. He catches a brief snatch of stubbly cheek and tousled black hair before registering that Cas had jerked backwards in surprise and fallen onto his rear. Dean pinches his lips together to keep from laughing and holds out a hand to help him up. Scowling, Cas accepts the hand and pulls himself up into a crouch.

    “Let’s just do this,” Cas growls, but Dean sees the flicker of excitement in his eyes. Deep down, Cas enjoys the thrill of danger just as much as Dean does. Cas nudges Dean in the thigh with his knee as encouragement. Standing up, Dean strides over to the driver’s side as if he had every right to. Hopefully that’s what any spying neighbors would think. He clicks the button with a drawing of an open lock twice. The Viper’s lights flash and he hears the locks disengage. He opens the door gingerly, treating the car with respect, unlike her owner.

    Sliding his hand over the steering wheel, Dean drops into the driver’s seat. Personally, he is more of a classic car person, but he just knows that this is going to be awesome to drive. Cas slips into the passenger’s seat and smirks at Dean, the light of adventure brightening his face. He places his finger on the small, circular button which will start the engine. He locks eyes with Cas and waggles his eyebrows up and down. Then he presses the button. Cas winces at the engine’s low growl as it comes to life. His left hand on the steering wheel and his right hand on the gear shift, Dean shoots backwards out of the driveway, switches gears, and zips down the neighborhood road.

    Rolling down both windows, Dean lets out a whoop and Cas stares out his window, wind ruffling his hair and a huge grin spread across his face.

    “So, where’s the best place to see this harvest moon, Cas?” Dean asks, letting his eyes drift from the road to absorb the full effect of Cas’s smile.

    “It won’t rise for another hour, but I’ve heard that about ten miles outside of town there are some pretty good hills for seeing it from,” Cas informs Dean.

    “How long have you been wanting to see this moon?” Dean quirks an eyebrow at Cas. Some amount of planning and research had to have gone into this.

    “I was going to ask you to go see it with me but then,” Dean glances at Cas and swears that he is blushing, “you complained at length about Lisa dragging you to see that documentary on stars. So I figured you wouldn’t be interested.”

    “Dude,” Dean began, turning onto the highway which led into the hill country and shifting into a higher gear, “there is a huge difference between being trapped in a theatre with Lisa while a man drones on about freaky patterns in the sky and sitting on a hill looking at a badass moon with you.”

    “Harvest moon, Dean. There’s nothing bad about its ass, if it even has one,” Cas deadpans, barely even looking at Dean.

    Dean groans, suppressing a chuckle, “You’re never going to get tired of pretending to take things literally are you?”

    “As long as it keeps amusing you, I suppose not.”

    Ahead of Dean is a long stretch of empty road. It is way too tempting to ignore. “Hold on,” Dean warns as he switches the engine into the highest gear and punches the gas. He feels himself thrown back in his seat as the Viper accelerates rapidly and speeds down the highway. Beside him, Cas laughs and sticks a hand out the window, letting the wind toss his fingers about. Dean feels a responding laugh bubble out of him. This has to be one of his best ideas yet.

 

    “Turn off here,” Cas points at a gravel driveway as they zip past.

   “Shit,” Dean hisses as he brakes and yanks the wheel to the left, desperately trying to make the opening in the fence.

    He doesn't make the opening.

    Someone screams as they crash through the fence. For the life of him, Dean couldn't you who it was. The car dips into a ditch, then bounces back out. A cow zips past on Dean’s left. A splash of mud lands on Cas’s side of the windshield as Dean slams the brakes and the Viper spins to a halt.

    “Thank you, Dean,” Cas’s voice sounds a bit shaky, “That was exactly where I wanted you to turn.”

    “Aw, shut up,” Dean grumbles. He puts the car in reverse and slowly depresses the accelerator. Thank god the car isn’t stuck in the mud and actually begins to back up. Dean makes a half turn and heads across the field to the dirt road he had meant to turn down. They bump up onto it and Dean takes off down it at a more reasonable speed than he had been using on the highway.

    “Where now, moon boy?” Dean asks.

    “Well, after we get far enough away from the road we can just stop and find a nice place to sit down,” Cas answers.

     “You think I’m just going to park this beauty on the side of the road?” Dean gestures to the hood of the Viper in front of him.

    “Well, Dean, it is already covered in mud so I don’t know why you’d mind,” Cas crosses his arms and looks at Dean.

    “Fine. We’ll go and loiter on some farmer’s field,” Dean grumbles.

    “This field belongs to my uncle,” Cas explains, “I don’t think he’ll mind.”

    “Oh,” Dean mutters. Of course, it was exactly like Cas to have their entire adventure planned out. “Since when do you have a farmer uncle?”

    “He’s not a farmer. He raises animals. Mostly cattle,” Cas replies.

    “Same difference. Just tell me when to stop,” Dean looks over at Cas who just nods and stares out of his open window. They pass a group of all red cows. Dean wonders how they all found each other and thinks that his school’s diversity policy might have an issue with them. The sky is getting pretty dark, so Dean switches on the headlights.

    “Over there. See that hill? It looks good,” Cas points to Dean’s left at a nice, little hill currently unoccupied by farm animals.

    “If it’s covered in mud, we aren’t staying,” Dean announces. He stops on the road, not wanting another off road adventure quite yet, and they both exit the vehicle. Dean gives the Viper a once over. It’s not _that_ dirty. They can clean it up pretty easily. There will be no hiding the scratches on the hood though.

    “Come on, Dean,” Cas calls, “There’s no mud.”

    “Coming!” Dean jogs up the hill to join his friend. He can worry about the car later.

 

    It doesn’t take long for the sky to darken and for the moon to appear in full force. Cas watches the moon and Dean watches Cas. He isn’t sure why, but the side of his friend’s face is a hundred times more fascinating than the huge, golden-orange moon in front of him. Maybe it is something about the small smile at the corners of his mouth and the way his eyes relaxed when he was happy. Or maybe that one curl that he could never tame falling on his forehead. Dean quickly looks away. He randomly finds himself thinking bizarre things like that. He doesn’t know why. Or maybe he does but he doesn’t want to.

    “Hey, when do your parents want you back?” Dean asks to distract himself.

    “An hour ago,” Cas replies, never taking his eyes off of the moon.

    “Oh,” Dean intelligently replies. Cas used to obey his parents to the letter, but recently he’s been just not caring as much.

    “Are you ready to go back?” Cas finally looks away from the moon and into Dean’s eyes.

    “Nah, just wondering. We’ll stay as long as you want,” Dean blinks and studies the moon.

    “It looks like those clouds are about to cover it. We’ll leave then,” Cas announces and then they’re silent again. Dean’s eyes find their way back to Cas’s face and he’s suddenly very aware of how close together they are sitting and that this could definitely be defined as a date. He shakes his head and starts planning their escape if Azazel wakes up to the sound of his car coming back up his driveway to distract himself. About fifteen more minutes pass before Cas sighs and sits up straighter.

    “Okay, I’m ready to go.” He stands and Dean copies him. Their hands brush as they walk back to the car, but Cas moves away. Dean still absurdly feels like this is a date and has to stop himself from opening the passenger door for Cas. He heads directly to the driver’s side and sits down on the smooth leather.

    “Hey, Cas?” Dean asks, “Did you want to drive?”

    “No, Dean. I’m happy being a passenger.” That’s what Dean thought, but he had to offer. It wasn’t like they were ever going to steal this car again. They drive in content silence, the wind ruffling their hair as they speed down the empty highway. Dean drives to the self service car wash on the edge of town and they wash the car up as best as they can. Cas grumbles about Dean’s reckless driving and Dean tells Cas that is was all the fault of his reckless navigation. Dean must be more tired than he thought because they are on Principal Azazel’s street before he knows it.

    “I’m gonna turn the lights off now and shift into the lowest gear,” Dean whispers to Cas. Cas nods and unbuckles his seatbelt, ready to make a swift exit. Dean hadn’t been wearing his and feels irresponsible for a moment before remembering that he was driving and he is a perfectly safe driver. As soon as he’s properly turned into the driveway, he lets go of the gas and lets the car drift into place. He slides the transmission into park, pushes the power button and hops out while Cas runs up to the back door to replace the key.

    They run for a few blocks and then slow to a walk, panting hard. Dean looks at the street sign and realizes that they are just one block and a turn away from Cas’s house. He puts a hand on Cas’s shoulder.

    “Okay, that… that was awesome. Thanks for coming with me, man,” Dean says.

    “I’ll always come with you, Dean,” Cas replies in a dead serious voice. Dean turns a little to face him while still walking, but his friend is staring straight ahead as if he were walking alone.

    “That’s… nice to know,” Dean says, staring at the side of Cas’s face. Cas dips his head slightly but doesn’t respond. They walk in silence until they reach Cas’s house. The lights are on and two very obvious silhouettes of his parents are standing in the window probably watching for their wayward son. Cas stops in front of the walkway leading up to his door. He looks up at Dean and then down at his own feet. Then his head whips back up and he seems to have made some sort of decision.

    “Wait here,” he orders and runs towards his house.

    “Okay?” Dean says, confused yet again by his friend.The parental shadows move away from the window and disappear as Cas enters the house. Dean hears yelling, but it’s clear enough to make out words. Less than a minute later, Cas is popping out of his door and running up to Dean.

    “Here. Just,” his frantic energy falls flat as he hands Dean something, “think about it a bit before… whatever.” He turns and starts to jog back up to his house.

    “Good night, Cas,” Dean calls. Cas turns and waves to him before opening his door and shutting it behind him, cutting off Dean’s view of him. The yelling starts back up as Dean walks away. He cringes and regrets letting Cas disobey his parents. He looks down at the item Caas had given him. It’s a plain CD case with what appears to be a blank CD inside. He flips it over and sees writing on the other side.

    “Dammit, Cas, you write tiny,” Dean mutters as he brings up closer to his face and squints at it. The lighting provided by the occasional street lamps is too dim for him to actually read. He’ll have to wait until he gets home to read whatever note Cas left him. _Just think about it._ What the hell did he mean by that? When Dean gets home, he almost yells to his mother that he’s home but notices the time and instead runs quietly up the stairs to his room.

    Dean slips out of his jeans and heads to his desk to find his laptop. He opens it up, turns the screen brightness down to the lowest setting, and sticks in the CD. It registers as a music CD. He kind of wishes he had a CD player for this, but when else would he use it? So he opens his music player and hits play. Some song that is definitely not classic rock begins to play as Dean flips the lightswitch and crawls under the covers. Not exactly his cup of tea, but maybe that’s what Cas had meant by _think about it._

    Dean closes his eyes and tries to listen to the music, but sleep keeps pulling at his focus, calling him to dream. At some point he drifts off to sleep, the last few notes he heard still tripping through his brain. Two very different notes jerk him awake at 7:00 am. He groans, rolls over and bangs on his wall.

    “Sam! If you have to get up this early on the weekend at least set your alarm for a decent volume!” he yells.

    “I can’t help it if any noise above a whisper interrupts your beauty sleep!” Sam yells back, sounding way too awake for this time of day.

    “Don’t need beauty sleep,” Dean mumbles as he buries himself further under his covers and pulls a pillow on top of his head. That’s when his phone rings. He groans again and presses the pillow even harder down against his ear, but it’s too late and he knows it. There is no going back to sleep. He drags himself out of bed and over to his jeans where he left his phone last night. It takes rummaging in two separate pockets before he finds the right one and by that time the ringtone had been silent for a while. He still turns on the screen and sees a missed call from Cas.

    His first thought is _Why in the living hell is Cas calling me this early?_ but then he has a minor panic attack as he think that it might be some kind of emergency. He quickly hits the call back button and waits impatiently as it rings.

    “Hello, Dean,” Cas answers.

    “Is everything alright?” Dean asks shortly.

    “Um. Yes. Why wouldn’t it be?” Cas replies nervously. Instantly, Dean relaxes and goes straight back to his first reaction.

    “Because there is no other good reason to call me this early. None, do you hear?” he says, moving one arm dramatically even though there’s no one else in the room to see him.

    “Oh. I’m sorry for waking you up. And worrying you,” Cas mumbles into the phone so low that Dean almost doesn’t catch his words.

    “It’s okay, just don’t do it again. A man needs his sleep on the weekends.”

    “If you could, you’d sleep through the entire weekend,” Cas quips, a little more strength behind his words than before.

    “You know me so well,” Dean says, standing up to begin the hunt for something to wear. There is a longer than normal pause on the phone before Cas speaks again.  

    “Did you listen to the playlist I gave you?” His voice is the auditory equivalent of wringing his hands.

    “Some of it. I made the mistake of putting it in last night while lying in a dark room. Do you want me to listen to it now?” He found a clean pair of jeans and a half decent t-shirt in his closet, so heads over to his dresser and pulls out a pair of boxers.

    “No! Well, whenever you feel like it. Yes.” Dean pauses and sits down on the edge of his bed.

    “Cas, you’re always pretty weird and that’s cool. But you are being suspiciously weird this morning,” he says. The poor guy sounds like he’s sweating bullets. Maybe there really is something wrong and Cas has just changed his mind about telling Dean.

    “Oh, I just need to go. My mom’s calling. I’d, uh, like to see you today so text me when you’re ready,” Cas spits out in a hurry.

    “Sure, Cas. I just need to grab some breakfast and listen to that playlist,” Dean replies, going back to getting dressed.

    “Okay,” Cas squeaks, “Goodbye.” He hangs up and Dean pulls the phone away from his face to look at it for a few seconds.

    “Weird,” he mutters and tosses his phone onto his bed to pull his shirt on over his head. He grabs it, slips it into his back pocket and goes downstairs to find some breakfast. His mother, Mary, is in the kitchen making some bacon and eggs for Sam like she does most mornings before school. She turns around when she hears Dean’s footsteps and smiles.

    “Well, if this isn’t a miracle. Seeing your face before noon on a weekend never happens,” she says as she heads over to the fridge and retrieves extra bacon. “I assume you’re going to want some bacon of your own.”

    “You’re the best, Mom,” Dean says and gives her a quick hug from behind. He then plops down in the chair opposite Sam and steals two strips of his bacon. Sam opens his mouth to complain, but Dean kicks him under the table beginning a silent staring and kicking contest broken only by the appearance of more bacon.

    “Behave,” their mother says and Dean just rolls his eyes.

    “Going running?” their mom asks as Sam gets up from the table.

    “Yeah, I’ve gotta go early cause I don’t want to let it get too hot,” he kisses her on the cheek and walks out of the kitchen. Dean thinks about how Sam wants to join the track team next year, and how he is planning to train through the summer even though he could get on as is, no problem. That is the definition of over achiever. Dean prefers to just slide by doing as few unpleasant tasks as he can manage.

    “Dean? Are you listening?”

    “Huh?” He completely missed whatever his mother had said.

    “I was asking if you had any plans for today. I need some help cleaning out the garage,” she repeated.

    “Oh. I was gonna go see Cas today, but I can help out this evening,” he replied, resigning himself to dust and boxes of ancient, useless items.

    “Thanks, honey,” she said and sat down next to him. Dean picked up a piece of bacon and folded it three times before he put it in his mouth. He should probably stop eating, but there were only two pieces left. Plus it was bacon. What was he supposed to do?

    “I’m gonna go listen to something Cas gave me and then I’m heading out,” he informed his mother who hummed her acknowledgement as she sipped her coffee and read the newspaper. He pushed away from the table and returned to his room. He got his laptop going again and hit play, this time listening to the lyrics. This was somehow very important to Cas.

 _People are talkin', talkin' 'bout people_  
_I hear them whisper, you won't believe it_  
_They think we're lovers kept under covers_  
_I just ignore it, but they keep saying_  
_We laugh just a little too loud_  
_We stand just a little too close_  
_We stare just a little too long_  
_Maybe they're seeing something we don't, darlin'_

  
_Let's give them something to talk about_  
_Let's give them something to talk about_  
_Let's give them something to talk about_  
_How about love?_

    Dean swallows nervously and hopes the next song would start soon. This one is making him increasingly uncomfortable. The next song starts and he relaxes, laying back on his bed, hands behind his head.

 _All of your flaws and all of my flaws_  
_They lie there hand in hand_  
_Ones we've inherited, ones that we learned_  
_They pass from man to man_  
  
_There's a hole in my soul_  
_I can't fill it, I can't fill it_  
_There's a hole in my soul_  
_Can you fill it? Can you fill it?_  
  
_You have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve_  
_And I have always buried them deep beneath the ground_  
_Dig them up; let's finish what we've started_ _  
Dig them up, so nothing's left untouched_

    Now this one was making him itch under his skin as well. Why does he keep seeing him and Cas in the lyrics? Is that what Cas wants? Or does Cas just want to share some music with Dean and Dean is being over sensitive? Yeah, that’s probably it.

 _If you love somebody_  
_Better tell them while they're here 'cause_ _  
They just may run away from you_

  
_You'll never know what went well_  
_Then again it just depends on  
How long of time is left for you_

  
_I've had the highest mountains_  
_I've had the deepest rivers_ _  
You can have it all but not till you move it_

    This is not funny, Dean thinks, Cas, what are you saying? Are you trying to say something or are these just innocent songs? He crosses his arms and waits for the next song. This is making him angry for some reason he doesn’t feel like thinking about.

 _Last night I think I drank too much_  
_Yeah, call it our temporary crutch_  
_With broken words I tried to say_  
_Honey don’t you be afraid_  
_If we got nothing, we got us_  
  
_And if you only die once I wanna die with you_  
_You got something I need_  
_In this world full of people there's one killing me_  
_And if we only die once,_  
_I wanna die with you_

    That could be about friends. Totally. Maybe Cas made this because they’re graduating soon and he doesn’t want to end up going to different colleges. That might be it. Yeah, that’s it.

 _When life leaves you high and dry_  
_I'll be at your door tonight if you need help, if you need help_  
_I'll shut down the city lights,_  
_I'll lie, cheat, I'll beg and bribe to make you well, to make you well_  
_When enemies are at your door I'll carry you away from more_  
_If you need help, if you need help_  
_Your hope dangling by a string_  
_I'll share in your suffering to make you well, to make you well_

  
_Give me reasons to believe,_ _  
That you would do the same for me_

  
_And I would do it for you, for you_  
_Baby I'm not moving on_  
_I love you long after you're gone_  
_For you, for you_  
_You would never sleep alone_  
_I love you long after you're gone_  
_And long after you're gone, gone, gone_

    Fuck. Why didn’t Cas just write him a little note with and “Do you like me? Check yes or no.” written on it? He couldn’t really be any clearer. Except that Cas didn't write these songs. It would be the most embarrassing thing in the world if Dean reads more into this than Cas had meant. The playlist ends and the room is silent. Too silent. Dean jumps up and hurriedly presses replay. He will listen to this as many times as it takes for him to make up his mind about what Cas means.

    Because, if Cas was just giving him an innocent playlist like the weirdo he is, then Dean could ruin their friendship if he takes it wrong. But, if Cas really is trying to say something… no wonder he was acting so strange this morning! Dean sits up, suddenly decided that the playlist means that Cas liked him, but then falls back on the bed. Why would Cas like him? Cas isn’t gay. Or is he? Wait. Why is he thinking so hard about this? He isn’t gay and he doesn’t even like Cas like that.

    Then a small, malnourished part of his brain says, “Dean Winchester. Stop pretending. You know exactly how you feel about Cas.” Dean groans and wraps both arms around his head. It’s true. He might not think he’s gay, but there’s no denying his attraction to Cas and his lack of interest in anyone else.

    The playlist finishes again and Dean plays it one more time, just to give him a little extra time for freaking out and figuring out his shit. When it finishes a third time, he closes his laptop and almost leaves the room before he remembers the writing on the CD. He jumps back in front of his laptop and has to remind himself to be gentle when he extracts the CD from the drive. The writing is curved around the hole in the center, but it's easy enough to read.

_**Dean,** _

_**I don’t know what you’re going to think about this,** _ _**but I hope you understand what I couldn’t find a way to say with my own words. If you ignore this, I won’t bring it up again. We can pretend it didn’t happen. It’s your choice.** _

_**\- Cas** _

    Dean stares a moment and then gently places the CD down on his desk. That is the final clue. Cas meant to send Dean a message and Dean got it. He races down the stairs and out into the street. He needs to see Cas _now._ Running, it takes no time at all for him to reach Cas's front door he bangs on it a few times and then remembers that doorbells exist and presses that too for good measure. Unfortunately not Cas, but Mrs. Naomi Novak answered the door. 

     "Hello, Mrs. Novak. Is Cas home? I'd like to see him." Dean is practically dancing on his toes in impatience. 

     "Stay right there," she replies and closes the door in his face. It was rude, but Dean is used to Naomi's cold dislike of him. She thinks he isn't good enough to be friends with her son. A cold knot forms in his stomach as he thinks  _If she doesn't like me as a friend, she's going to hate me as anything more._  He chews on his lower lip and has almost convinced himself to just leave and never mention the playlist to Cas again when Cas himself opens the door. 

     "Be back for lunch at noon!" Naomi yells after him.

     "Yes, Ma'am," Cas responds and closes the door with just a hair less force than a slam.  He turns to face Dean, smiling nervously. 

     "I thought you were going to text," Cas says.

     "Oh, uh, yeah. I forgot. I was excited to see you." Dean rubs the back of neck and follows Cas down to the sidewalk. They are both silent as they turn right to aimlessly head deeper into the neighborhood. Finally, Dean breaks the silence. 

     "I listened to the playlist. And read your note." 

     "And?" Cas doesn't turn to look at him, remaining fascinated by the one cloud in the otherwise clear sky. 

     "I... liked it," Dean hedges, "I mean, it's not my normal jam, but I think we could work it." Dean thinks he's getting his point across, at least he hopes so.

     "We?" Cas asks hopefully, finally looking at him.  _Please, please, please, let us be having the same conversation,_ Dean thinks.

     "Yeah, we," he answers. Cas's smile is brilliant. He holds out his left hand to Dean. He looks at it for a moment and then reaches out with his right hand and slips it into Cas's. They let their hands swing between them as they walk past Principal Azazel's, car still safely in the driveway. 

     "I've had that playlist sitting in my desk for a few months now," Cas says without warning.

     "Yeah? What made you give it to me last night?"

     "Sitting there on the hill under the moon felt so much like a date and I desperately wanted it to be one. So, I decided that we'd waited long enough."

     "We sure have," Dean chuckles, "You know I thought how much like a date it was too,' he paused a moment, "Can I take you out on a date for real? Tonight?" It was nerve-wracking to ask because somehow it made this all _real_. 

     "I'd love that Dean," Cas said, "but I'm paying."

     "But then that's you taking me on a date, not the other way around," Dean complained. 

     "Yes, but I make money tutoring and you don't have a job," Cas countered.

     "Excuse me! Are you saying I can't afford it?"

     "No, Dean," Cas sighed, pretending to be exasperated, "It's merely more sensible for the one with a relatively steady income to pay for unnecessary expenses."

     "Aw, Cas, you're already working out our budget," Dean teased.

     "Shut up, imbecile."

    "He remembered!" Dean cried and raised their joined hands in the air. Cas looked at him with a blank face for a moment. 

    "I think that 'nickname' suits you more every day."

    "Oh, shut up."

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this, I'd love a kudo or comment! :)
> 
> And if you want to know what songs were on Cas's playlist, here's a list:  
> \- Something To Talk About by Bonnie Rait (a bit of an old song, but I thought it was perfect)  
> \- Flaws by Bastille (my favourite love song ever, even though it isn't explicitly about love)  
> \- On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons  
> \- Something I Need by OneRepublic  
> \- Gone, Gone, Gone by Phillip Phillips
> 
> Tumblr: funkytown67rh


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